Woodstock Academy girls’ basketball coach Will Fleeton remains very happy with his team’s defensive performance.
The offense?
That’s another question.
“We missed a ton of easy shots. We couldn’t hit the side of a barn,” Fleeton said after his Centaurs lost to Norwich Free Academy, 38-17, in their only game of the week Jan. 4. “The easy excuse is to say that the time off through the break came back to bite us, but I think that players should be able to work their way through that. I don’t think that was an issue.”
The Centaurs hung with the Wildcats in the first quarter when almost 30 percent of the points in the game were scored.
The Wildcats (3-5, 1-0 Eastern Connecticut Conference Division I) led the Centaurs only 9-7 after the first quarter but the second was another story.
Woodstock Academy scored only two points in both the second and third quarters.
What can a coach do when the offense is struggling like that?
“Not much,” Fleeton admitted. “I think there were stretches in the game where we were getting good shots, getting the shots we wanted, ran the offense to get them, and we executed well. We just didn’t finish.”
The Centaurs (4-2, 0-1) continue to play great defense.
Holding the Wildcats to 38 points represents a good defensive effort, equal to that they put together against Bacon Academy, but in both cases, Woodstock Academy just couldn’t put the ball in the hoop.
The Centaurs averaged only 20 points in those two losses.
“It’s been a concern,” Fleeton said, “but it’s been a concern not only, like (in the NFA game), where there was a lid on the basket. We put so much emphasis on the defense that it takes a little away from the offense. We try to compensate for that by generating offense through the defense. I don’t want to say (the lack of offense) is expected, but can it happen? Sure.”
Bella Graziano of NFA was the only player in double figures with 14 points including a pair of 3-pointers for the Wildcats. Maddy Perrino added eight points.
Heather Converse led the Centaurs with seven points. Katie Papp and Marina Monrabel (4 points each) and Aislin Tracey (2 points) were the only others who scored.
“I think we just keep doing what we’re doing, keep putting up the shots. They seemed to go in the night before,” Fleeton said.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy

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